The geopolitical situation shows the importance of having additional, stable energy sources in order to balance renewables and ensure adequate power in the system, and large–scale nuclear energy is such a source – says Mateusz Berger, Government Plenipotentiary For Strategic Energy Infrastructure in a conversation with BiznesAlert.pl.
BiznesAlert.pl: What is the significance of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 leaks, which NATO deemed a sabotage, for Poland’s infrastructure and infrastructure that determines Poland’s energy security?
Mateusz Berger: The current situation is the result of a 20-year long operation to make Europe dependent on gas from Russia on the path to the energy transition. It is good that more and more renewable energy sources are becoming available, but at the same time, unfortunately, the dependence on Russian gas as a fuel for power plants acting as baseload for renewable sources has increased. One of the threads of Nord Stream 2 remained intact. It may be used as leverage for another blackmail and attempts at extorting a certification for about 27.5 bcm of gas a year, despite Western sanctions. Incidents such as the Nord Stream 1 and 2 spills show the importance of protecting infrastructure that ensures energy security. Poland was at the forefront of the discussion on sanctions against Russia and rightly sought independence from Russian fossil fuels. We need to tap into supply opportunities from other directions. We have the Baltic Pipe. It’s time to up the capacity of LNG terminals. I’m talking about the dynamic market of floating terminals whose availability is flexible. Such an FSRU can be leased for instance during the heating season for a few months or years. Such investments are all the more justified given the situation in the East, and it should be borne in mind that even if Vladimir Putin loses, relations with Russia will not return to normal. Good thing we have the Baltic Pipe. Perhaps this is the right time for the FSRU to dock in Gdańsk once the infrastructure has been prepared by Gaz-System. The Polish Development Fund could co-finance such an investment. My strategic goal will be to develop this cooperation to invest in a floating LNG terminal, so that it reaches our shores as early as in 2026. It may work out.
What is the significance of the atom now?
The geopolitical situation shows the importance of having additional, stable energy sources in order to balance res and ensure adequate power in the system, and large-scale nuclear power is such a source. It will be impossible to safely develop renewables without baseload power. We cannot rely on natural gas at this price and from these sources. It will take a decade or more to build an NPP. Work is underway to select a technology partner. This choice, with an investment scale of 6-9 GW and the entire supply chain, will be of strategic importance. This way of thinking should guide the government’s resolution on nuclear power that was requested by the Ministry of Climate and Environment. I hope that this decision will be taken soon.
What is the role of small nuclear reactors?
Due to the characteristics of the grid, we need large sources, because large coal blocks like Kozienice or ZE PAK will naturally fall out of the system. That is why we need two large nuclear power plants in Poland and offshore wind farms, of which I am a great supporter. Small nuclear reactors are a great solution for local heat and power plants. They will also make it possible to develop industry in areas in Poland that would otherwise be short on power. This means PSE (Poland’s energy grid operator – ed.) needs to develop the grid more quickly.
What are the prospects for cooperation with Ukraine on strategic energy infrastructure?
The restoration of the power connection with the Khmelnitsky power plant is already underway. This is a good start, but cultural proximity will predestine us to take more steps, and hopefully, after the war is over, it they will be made.
Interview by Wojciech Jakóbik